Romania's shortage occupations list can now be updated at any time: what Order 1668/2026 changes and how to request a new occupation

Order no. 1,668 of 4 November 2026 of the Minister of Labour, published in the Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial), Part I, no. 928 of 5 November 2026, changes the rules for updating Romania's List of shortage occupations (Lista ocupațiilor deficitare). The order amends the Methodology for drawing up and updating the list, approved by Order no. 987/2026. The order does not add or remove any occupation from the list. It sets out how, when and how fast this can be done.

For employers, the most important change is simple: the list can be updated whenever needed, by adding occupations to or removing them from the list in force, and an employer's proposal is analysed within 10 calendar days. Below you will find what changed, who can request an update, what evidence to prepare, and concrete examples.

In short

Legal basis: Order of the Ministry of Labour no. 1,668/2026, art. I–III (Official Gazette no. 928 of 5.11.2026).

Thresholds are counted per occupation, not per company

The thresholds are not conditions that each employer must meet. They show how often a given occupation has been used for foreign workers, adding up the contracts of all employers together. The threshold of 5 employment permits (avize de angajare) applies only to drawing up the first list and refers to permits issued in 2025, under the procedure in place before OUG 32/2026. Half-yearly updates use only the threshold of contracts active in REGES-ONLINE.

For the half-yearly update the text is explicit: for the occupation concerned there must be, nationwide, on the last day of the half-year, at least 5 full-time individual employment contracts concluded by employers with foreigners, active in REGES-ONLINE (art. 11 para. 1 letter b of the methodology).

Example. A small company employs a single foreign welder. This does not stop it from benefiting from the occupation being on the list. What matters is whether the occupation has at least 5 active contracts with foreigners across the whole country.

Lower thresholds mean that more occupations can meet the conditions to enter the list.

The three situations in which the list can be updated at any time

Under the new art. 14 para. (1), the list can be updated whenever needed, by adding occupations to or removing them from the list in force, for occupations in major groups 3–9 of the Romanian Classification of Occupations (COR), in three situations.

1. Infrastructure projects requested by ministries

Activities requested by ministries or other central public administration bodies are about to take place in Romania, for projects that contribute to developing and modernising the national economic infrastructure.

Example. A ministry is preparing a project to modernise a railway line and needs workers in an occupation that is not on the list. The proposal is registered with the Ministry of Labour.

2. Employers' proposals

Employers can make proposals, accompanied by relevant justifications and statistical data, that clearly show the immediate need to update the list with certain occupations. Employers' proposals are registered in the electronic platform WorkinRomania.gov.ro.

Example. An upholstery workshop in Arad with 12 employees has been looking for two upholsterers for four months. It has published job ads on recruitment websites and declared the vacancies to the county employment agency, without suitable candidates. Let us assume the occupation is not on the list in force. The workshop can submit a proposal in WorkinRomania to add the occupation, with proof of what it has done. The fact that it is asking for only two posts is not, in itself, a reason for rejection.

3. Requests from social partners

Well-founded requests from social partners representative at national level, meaning representative employers' organisations and trade unions, can be registered with the Ministry of Labour. The requests contain the information from the guide and other relevant elements supporting the need for an update.

Example. A national-level representative employers' federation in tourism finds that hotels in several counties cannot find staff for the same occupation. The federation submits a well-founded request to the Ministry of Labour, with data from all these counties.

When the procedure cannot be used

Only occupations from major groups 3–9 of the COR can enter the list. An occupation from groups 1 or 2 (for example, a management position or a specialist post requiring higher education) cannot be added through this procedure.

The update works both ways: an occupation can also be removed from the list in force, through the same procedure.

What an employer's proposal must contain

The justifications and statistical data include, without being limited to, information about:

• the steps taken to find staff at local, county or national level, as the case may be, both through your own means and through the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM);
• the labour market situation at local level.

The information is prepared taking into account the guidance in the Guide on justifying proposals to update the List of shortage occupations (art. 11 para. 6 and art. 14 para. 2 of the methodology).

The Guide is drawn up by the Ministry of Labour within 30 days of Order 1668/2026 entering into force, in consultation with the social partners representative at national level. The Guide is approved by order of the Minister of Labour and will be available in the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform (art. II).

Practical tip. Keep the evidence of your recruitment efforts starting now: the ads you published and their dates, the vacancies declared to the county agency, the number of candidates and why they were not suitable. This is exactly the information the order requires in the justification.

What happens after you submit the proposal

The 10-day deadline covers the analysis and the drafting of the order. It does not replace the legal deadlines for consultation, approval, adoption and publication of the updating order (art. 14 para. 9). The occupation enters the list through the updating order, after it is adopted and published in the Official Gazette.

What the ministry analyses

The reasoned note includes an assessment of (art. 14 para. 7):

• the immediate need for the update;
• recruitment difficulties and the availability of labour;
• the consequences of waiting until the half-yearly update;
• the effects on micro-enterprises and small enterprises, where relevant.

Four rules worth knowing

1. A small number of posts is not, in itself, a reason for rejection. A company asking for a single worker can submit a proposal just like one asking for ten.
2. Missing data or a missing reply from institutions does not prove a shortage. The evidence you provide is what supports the proposal.
3. Requests for clarification do not stop the clock. The ministry sends requests for clarification without delay and, as far as possible, in a single communication. They do not suspend or extend the 10 days, so reply quickly.
4. A rejection comes with reasons. If the information does not support an update, the ministry tells you which elements remained unclear and what information or documents are needed for a new proposal (art. 14 para. 8).

Example. The ministry asks the Arad workshop for proof that the vacancies were declared to the county agency. The workshop sends the proof the next day. The 10-day deadline keeps running from the registration of the proposal.

Proposals submitted before Order 1668/2026

The 10-day deadline applies to proposals registered from the date Order 1668/2026 enters into force. For proposals registered earlier, the analysis deadline applicable on their registration date continues to apply (art. III).

Employer checklist

• [ ] The occupation belongs to major groups 3–9 of the COR
• [ ] The occupation is not on the List of shortage occupations in force
• [ ] You have looked for staff through your own means and have the evidence (ads, dates, candidates)
• [ ] You have declared the vacancies to the county employment agency
• [ ] You can describe the labour market situation in your area
• [ ] You have prepared the justification according to the Guide
• [ ] You submit the proposal in the WorkinRomania.gov.ro platform
• [ ] You check the platform and reply immediately to any requests for clarification

Frequently asked questions

Did Order 1668/2026 add new occupations to the list? No. The order only changes the rules for drawing up and updating the list. Any new occupation enters the list through a separate updating order.

Does the threshold of 5 contracts apply to my company? No. The threshold is counted per occupation, adding up the contracts with foreigners of all employers.

Can I request an occupation to be added for just one or two workers? Yes. A small number of requested jobs does not, in itself, constitute a reason for rejection.

Where do I submit the proposal? Employers submit the proposal in the electronic platform WorkinRomania.gov.ro. Ministries and social partners register their proposals with the Ministry of Labour.

How soon will I get an answer? The ministry analyses the proposal within 10 calendar days of registration and then communicates the result. If the result is favourable, consultation, approval, adoption and publication of the updating order follow.

What do I do if my proposal is rejected? Read the reasons: they show which elements remained unclear and which documents are missing. Once these are completed, you can submit a new proposal.

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Sources: Order of the Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity no. 1,668/2026 amending the Methodology for drawing up and updating the List of shortage occupations, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 928 of 5 November 2026; Order no. 987/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 603 of 23 July 2026.